We Did It Wrong
by fire-onnagoddess
Summary: Two girls interfere with Aoshi's fight, but save his life. He's fallen for the one that carried him to Kyoto, but both girls seem upset about something. Will his feelings change, or will fate remain on the wrong path forever? btw, I don't own kenshin.
1. Visions

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin. If I did, Naheka(who I do own) would beg to be in it. That's why I'm writing this. Don't kill me, Naheka, I swear this is totally for you! (Runs away)

We Did It Wrong

Chapter 1

Visions

"Do you remember the objective?"

"Retrieve the artifact and return unnoticed."

"Good."

There were shouts in the distance as two dark figures broke into the house.

"Who are . . .?" The guards question was cut short by one of the figures slitting his throat.

They ran quickly and silently, knowing their time was limited. The screams were of the villagers that saw them jump over the wall. They loved their Lord, and were trained to make a ruckus when someone entered without permission.

"There it is. The Eye of the Elements." They grabbed it and ran off into the forest. They were met by about 20 guards, and after a quick, but bloody, battle, went back on their way, cuts not slowing them down. Then the arrows came.

Hikaru started. She was in her room, or rather, the chamber of the Flame. She was lying in front of a great fire. It sparkled at her as if to say good morning. Getting up into a sitting position, she put her face in her hands. "That dream again . . . that was the worst mission ever, but at least the source of our power is in our possession. Now, Kazeka and Rin can rest in peace within the orb. And no one can come here except us, because the road allows only the four of us through, and there's only Naheka and me left. I swore the day that they died that I would train harder, and be as powerful as Naheka, so that I could help support her instead of just get in the way." The fire crackled. There was a knock on the door. Hikaru closed her eyes. "Come in, Master."

Naheka slid the door in, entered, and slid it shut. She regarded Hikaru for a moment. Hikaru had short red hair, which matched her temper: short fused. She was slim, and looked half-starved, although she ate plenty. Her slim appearance made her a great assassin and fooled any into thinking she was weak. Unless you saw her in action, you'd think her to be a common woman. "I heard you scream. That day again?" She asked kindly. Hikaru nodded, her back still to her master. There was silence for a moment. "When is the best time to leave for Kyoto?" Scenes flashed through Hikaru's mind for a moment, and she was silent. The fire crackled and grew a little. After a while, it died down.

"Morning. We'll arrive just when we're needed."

Short but simple. Kenshin and the gang are in the next chappie. Naheka, I swear, He's all yours! Please don't kill me for the next chappie! I beg you! Review peaople, before she kills me! (Running away very fast)


	2. Found You

Ne, Asahi-chan, you know these guys better than me, ne? EMAIL ME OR YOU'RE DEAD! Oh, and read this story, too. Everybody, R&R! Including Naheka!

We Did It Wrong

Chapter 2

Found You

Crowds parted as two cloaked figures walked calmly into town. Sanosuke, drunk as he was, paid no heed to the fact that people were not moving away from him. Hid immediate thought was 'I'm not that ugly.' When he saw the cloaked figures moving towards him, he thought they wanted a fight. "What, you wan fight?" His voice was slurred. He then tripped over himself, about to fall on his face, but the shorter cloaked figure caught him, then looked to the other. After a nod, the figure holding him let down her hood, revealing a girl.

"You're drunk." She sniffed disapprovingly.

"You're pretty." He said. He's definitely very, very drunk. She just rolled her eyes.

"Sensei, can we please just go?" She asked the other cloaked figure, who laughed and let her hood down.

"How about we get him inside?"

"Fine, help me. He's not as light as you are." They carried him into a nearby hotel. "Does this belong to anybody?" the shorter one asked.

"Sano! There you are." Kenshin smiled.

"Two pretty girls. Lovely life . . ." Everyone except him sweatdropped.

"He's with us. We only just realized he was gone. Sorry."

"That's all right. My name's Naheka, and this is my apprentice, Hikaru. We're looking for someone. You might know him. His name is Shinomori, Aoshi." Everyone looked at the two girls like they were insane.

"Do you know him?" Kenshin asked carefully.

"Not exactly. I have some information that leads me to conclude that his life is in danger." Hikaru supplied.

"He's pretty strong, I think he can handle himself." Sanosuke stated, sitting down, not appearing drunk anymore.

"Perhaps. But the person that he may be battling in the near future is not human, and is nearly immortal. We're supposed to fight him, not Shinomori. Do you have any idea where Shinomori is?" Hikaru asked. Both hers and Nahekas faces were devoid of any emotion.

"He's supposed to be coming from Osaka. He wants to travel with us for some weird reason or another." As soon as Kaoru mentioned Osaka, Hikaru's eyes started moving, like she was reading something. Naheka held up a hand as a motion to keep them quiet.

"He's an idiot, holding a battle in a dungeon with torches lit. It's a cellar beneath a farmhouse, but the house is old, and there's a long passageway. We can figure out where it leads when we get there. We should get there right on time if we run."

"Good, let's go." Naheka nodded.

"Wait, we'll come with you." Kenshin said, getting up.

"Only if you can keep up with us." They started running, and Kenshin and Sano were able to keep up for a while, then started to lag behind as the girls sped up. Then they stopped after an hour of running. They were at the farm. As Kenshin and Sanosuke caught up, they opened the cellar door and crouched, not in sight of whoever was behind it. They heard yells as two men came up. They paused, seeing how far away Kenshin and Sano were from the door. They were impaled before they could turn around. They fell, dead, green liquid on the girls swords.

"I hate those things. They always fall for a simple trick."

"How the hell were you two able to last so long without breaking a sweat?" Sano was out of breath.

"That was just a jog." Hikaru said. "If we really ran, we could circle around Honshu in one day." The girls turned around and walked down the cellar entrance, leaving Kenshin and Sanosuke to stare after them.

Aoshi and bad guy

"Pathetic. A human like you thinking he can defeat me, an immortal? Well, it looks like nobody is coming to your rescue. I think I'll end your suffering and kill you now!" Aoshi was on the floor, near death. The bad guy raised his sword.

"COWARD!" Hikaru came running up behind him, sword at the ready. "Odei, you're mine!" He turned around and blocked her blow just in time. She came at him again, harder this time, and he had more trouble.

"So, you've grown much stronger since the last time we met, Hikaru."

"You bet I did, after what you did to Rin and Kazeka!" The torches were blazing in Hikaru's anger. She went after him again, this time leaving a scratch.

"I must commend you for doing an excellent job in your training. But, you're not strong enough."

"What?" Odei held up his hand and Hikaru was sent flying. She landed next to Aoshi. Odei came closer as she struggled to get up. His power was holding her down.

"I said you're not strong enough. Now, where's you're master?" Hikaru smirked.

"Well, if I told you, it'd ruin the surprise." Odei felt something wet cover his mouth and nose. He tried to shake it off, but the water kept coming.

"What a simple trick you fell for." Naheka's voice came from the water.

"Couldn't you tell that I was just a diversion? Naheka never leaves me to fight any one by myself. She's my leash." Hikaru laughed evilly before fainting.

Odei released his grip on Hikaru and slammed all of his power into Naheka before disappearing. She fell to the ground, body returning to normal, unconscious. Kenshin and Sanosuke finally had come down to see what was going on. Shortly after Naheka slipped into unconsciousness, Hikaru's body started glowing red.

"What . . .?" Sano started. Flames surrounded Hikaru's body. When they parted, a Fire fox was standing there, and it started to nudge Aoshi. Kenshin walked over and lifted Aoshi onto Hikaru's back.

"She wants to carry them back to Kyoto." Kenshin explained, picking up Naheka. He carried her piggy back style. Hikaru licked Naheka's hand before carrying Aoshi up the stairs.

"Hey, where'd your swords go?" Sano asked. Hikaru paused, looking back at him. She sniffed, then walked on.

"Sano, I don't think you made a good first impression." Kenshin smiled at his companion. "besides," he continued, more seriously, "These girls aren't human. They're just vessels." Sano stared, open mouthed.

"How do you know . . ."

"Because she turned into a fox." Kenshin nodded towards Hikaru, who started to act strangely. They saw Aoshi open his eyes for a moment before slipping into unconsciousness again. Hikaru seemed worried, then she just started running straight to Kyoto. Miraculously, Aoshi wasn't falling off.

"Hey, wait up!" Sano tried to catch up, but Hikaru was a fox, and a lot faster than him. "What's with her!"

"She looked worried about something. I wonder what's wrong?" Kenshin wondered aloud.

Another chappie done, and the next one is on the way! Naheka, please don't kill me, it'll end up fine! (Runs away anyway).

Hisui: R&R pplz! She's just afraid that her sensei is going to be upset about a few things, that's all.


	3. Wrong

Okie Doke, I know this was quick, but I got the right song going on and I have the whole story line in my head, so this is going to be a somewhat quick story. I let you guys know when I know how many more chappie's it'll be!

We Did It Wrong

Chapter 3

Wrong

'Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.' Kenshin constantly heard those thoughts coming from Hikaru. She was still in fox form. Aoshi and Naheka had been out all day, but at least Aoshi seemed to come in and out. Hikaru licked Naheka's face every now and then, but to no avail.

"What's wrong?" He asked her after everyone had gone to sleep. Hikaru turned to him, sniffed, then lay down next to Naheka.

'Path. Sleeping. Choice. Leash. Fate.' She kept saying things like that, and Kenshin couldn't understand what she was trying to say. 'Sensei. Leash. Sleep. Bad.' She calmed down enough to tell him that.

"Naheka is your leash?" Kenshin cocked his head, clueless. Hikaru nodded, then licked Naheka's face again. This time she stirred. Hikaru put her cold, wet nose on Naheka's neck, making her screech.

"Hikaru, how many times have I told you . . ." She got up to see Hikaru staring at her impatiently. "Oh, for crying out loud, go back to normal, would you?" Hikaru glowed, then changed back into a human.

"It's about time you woke up! You know I hate being like that for too long. Oh, and by the way, we screwed up!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He is what I'm talking about!" Hikaru jabbed her thumb at Aoshi. "Never mind, you'll figure it out by morning. I'm going back to the temple. That way, even if you do get knocked out again, at least I won't be stuck in the body of a fox until you wake up!" Hikaru shimmered and disappeared.

"What was all that yelling about?" Kaoru came in, rubbing her eyes. She sat next to Kenshin.

"Hikaru was angry because stupid Odei rammed all of his will into me, and since I was knocked out, the seal on her power broke, turning her into a fox." Naheka sighed. "And how the hell did we screw up? We did everything we were supposed . . ." She muttered to herself. Kaoru was awake now, upon hearing Naheka cuss.

"So you literally are her leash?" Kenshin asked.

After staring at him for a moment, Naheka nodded. "The seal on her power was shared between three of us, but . . . Odei happened. Now, I'm the only thing keeping Hikaru sane. If I get knocked out, her full power is unleashed. That is one scary kid, especially when she's pissed."

"Did Odei . . . kill the other two?" Kenshin asked, his arm over Kaoru's shoulders.

Naheka clenched her fists, and they started to bleed. "Someone found a plant that suppresses our powers and put in our dinner. Then Odei came. Hikaru wasn't a very skilled swordsman then, and Rin and Kazeka weren't strong enough to fight him themselves. He took out Hikaru and was about to kill her when they showed up. They kept him busy enough for Hikaru to recover some strength, but ended up killing them right in front of her eyes. Somehow, I guess since her power was under a seal to begin with, when they died, she recovered some of her power and was able to make him flee. I've never seen her so angry, and none of us thought that her own father would try to kill her."

"WHAT!" Kenshin stood up, suddenly angry.

"Yes, that man, Odei, is Hikaru's father, but he's shown himself to be our nemesis. I guess we should have listened to her when she said that he wasn't to be trusted. And she's the one with the Sight, so we should have really paid attention." Naheka punched the wall, leaving a hole. "If only we had listened and stayed away . . . Rin . . . and Kazeka . . . they'd both be . . ." She was crying.

"Master . . ." Hikaru had returned, and she carried something in her hands. Upon seeing it, Naheka calmed down. "Even if you had listened, it would have happened anyway. I should have realized that and trained harder even before that night. But, I thought it could be avoided."

"Is that . . . the Eye of the Elements!" Kenshin asked. Hikaru nodded.

"Rin and Kazeka rest here now. That way, their souls will still live on, even though their bodies are dead. If their souls live, the world can still survive. This is how we plan on ending the cycle. But, ever since we retrieved it, it hasn't left the Temple. Until now, but I'll take it back later. Master, they have a plan to help fix this mess and put Fate back on the right Path." She handed Naheka the Eye, and then sat down, her face serene. As Naheka sat down as well, the Eye glowed with a light that filled the room. Everyone heard whispers.

When Kenshin woke up, Kaoru was in his arms, and the other two girls were nowhere in sight. Aoshi was still unconscious. Blushing, he got up without waking Kaoru, and walked outside. (This was before they got together and had Kenji, btw)

"Focus your anger. Hit me with everything, Hikaru! Don't hold back just because I'm your sensei!" Naheka and Hikaru were fighting with real Katana. The weight didn't seem to bother them at all, though, and they were moving so fast that even sometimes Kenshin had a hard time following. After about fifteen minutes, Naheka made it harder.

"So, she knows the liquid-flow technique." Aoshi was standing next to Kenshin.

"Oh, you're awake!" Aoshi ignored his comment. He was watching Hikaru. She swung her sword and Naheka disappeared, but Hikaru did a full circle, and Naheka was forced to block. Both were smiling.

"The technique itself is hard, but understanding and attacking one using such a technique without missing is harder. You learned that yourself, didn't you, Battousai?"

"Come on, I told you not to call me that!" Kenshin was frowning. Hikaru started an assault on Naheka, who defended until she found an opening, then pushed Hikaru back. It went back and forth for a while. Then, Hikaru slipped, and Naheka swung, but Hikaru used her shoe to block and touched her sword to Naheka's neck.

"Gotcha." Hikaru smiled. Naheka smiled back. They stood up straight and bowed to each other. Neither were breaking a sweat, even though it was the middle of summer. Then they giggled.

"Almost there. Pretty soon, we'll have to use puppets just to get stronger!"

"Come on, I'm nowhere near where you are! That was just a fluke!" They were walking to the town temple.

"Well, you've had several flukes in the past month, now haven't you? Admit it, you're up to my level already!"

"That girl . . . Hikaru . . ." Aoshi said to himself.

YOU BASTARD! GO FOR NAHEKA ALREADY! Like I said, it's WRONG! We screwed up. That's why this chapter is entitled WRONG! R&R, Naheka, please don't kill me!

Oh, yeah, to reviewers, This was done about 10 minutes after I posted chappie 2, so this is a last minute addition.

This is an Aoshi-Oc pairing, and I will make sure to read your guys stories, since you asked to nicely. See you later!


	4. Dances

New chappie, having fun writing this late at night. Yep, life's good.

I SAW THE HIT COUNTER AND AM VERY SAD THAT ALMOST NO ONE SAID A THING, NOT EVEN A 'YOU SUCK'! REVIEW EVEN IF YOU HATE IT, THAT WAY I CAN BE BETTER! 73 hits and only 3 reviews . . . Wahhhhhhhhh!

We Did It Wrong

Chapter 4

Dances

Aoshi walked into the temple to find Hikaru bowing in front of a fire. She was actually on one knee with her hand right hand over her heart, eyes closed.

"She'll be like that for the rest of the day and through most of the night." Naheka was leaning against a wall, eyes closed. One foot was on the floor, the other against the wall. Her arms were crossed. She opened her eyes slightly. "And when she's done praying, she'll begin practicing again."

"Practicing what?" Aoshi asked, eyes on Hikaru.

"A skill that she believes is necessary for her last fight. She won't say anything more about it, though." Naheka wondered through the temple. Aoshi decided to sit down by the wall and wait.

Many people came and went from the temple. Aoshi discovered that the fire that Hikaru was in front of was bowed to before anyone went anywhere else. Also, if anyone passed it, they would also bow low. He was beginning to feel guilty about not bowing, but didn't move.

"Look! The girl, over at the lake!"

"What is she doing?"

"She must be a goddess!"

"She's walking on the water!" This perked Aoshi's interest, but Hikaru seemed unmoved. He decided to check it out. Everyone from the village was gathering around the lake. Naheka was in the middle, dancing!

"That must be the Dance of Life." Kenshin had found Aoshi. "Water and Fire. That means Kazeka of Wind and Rin of Earth are the resting ones. That reminds me, where did they put the Eye of the Elements?"

some time later

"The sun's setting. We should get back to the hotel." Kenshin had stayed with Aoshi the rest of the day.

"I'm staying."

"No, you're not." Naheka had come in. "Before she practices, she performs the Dance of Death. Out, before I kick you out. I'm going to ward the room so no one can come in and accidently kill themselves by watching." Kenshin left, but Aoshi was being stubborn. Naheka sighed. Walking over, she easily picked him up with one hand and threw him out of the temple. All entrances to the room were sealed. Naheka stayed inside.

"Why does she get to stay inside?" Aoshi was acting out of character, and he knew it.

"I only stay long enough to make sure every crack is sealed." Naheka's body reformed from a pool of water seeping out of the room. When she was completely reformed, she shook herself. "I did you a favor, making you leave. She is the only one immune to the Dance. Go back to the hotel. Hikaru won't be back until morning." She walked solemnly back herself. After darkness enveloped even the temple, Aoshi walked back.

Naheka

"She was right. Everything is wrong now." Naheka felt a growing anger rise to the surface. "It's all her fault! She's the one with the visions, she could have prevented this!" She shook herself. 'What's wrong with me? Hikaru told me herself as soon as she was back to normal that we screwed up. She didn't wait. And she said she wasn't sure how we were supposed to save him, she just knew that we had to distract her father. If she knew everything, I know she would kill herself to protect everyone. I shouldn't be angry with her; I shouldn't be angry at all.'

Aoshi walked in, glanced at Naheka, then walked into his room. "I'll have to ask her how we're supposed to fix this." 'I don't know how long I can last. He's too handsome to be rejected by, and I know . . .' She let her thoughts trail off. (Can you tell Nehaka likes him?)

Morning

Naheka woke to a sudden silence. It felt wrong. She saw Hikaru come in. She looked exhausted. Naheka got up to walk over to her, and then she started to fall. Naheka melted and solidified in time to catch her. "Hikaru! What's wrong?" No sound. She turned Hikaru onto her back to get a better look. Her eyes were half closed, but empty of life. "Hikaru! What happened!" She tried shaking her, but to no avail. Naheka was vaguely aware of people around her, but there was still no sound. Everything felt so wrong. Then, in her mind, Naheka saw Hikaru in the distance, dancing, between two realms of existance. As the vision faded, the body burst into flame and disappeared. Sound returned.

"What happened!" Aoshi demanded, but Naheka wasn't paying attention.

"How in God's name did she get stuck between the realms!" She ran to the temple and broke down the door. Hikaru's body was on the floor, still. "How the Hell did your souls get caught between here and Temple!" She laid a hand on Hikaru's body and focused. Her spirit started to dance the path of Fire to find Hikaru. She was exactly halfway between the Human realm and the Temple. They started to dance together, Naheka slowly leading Hikaru back to the Human realm. Finally, they returned to their bodies, and they were thrown away from each other; Naheka into the crowd that had formed outside the temple, Hikaru into the fire. Some people tried to get to Hikaru, but an invisible wall threw them back.

"I'm . . .fine." Hikaru slowly got up to demonstrate. The fire danced around her harmlessly.

"You'd better be." Naheka replied once she caught her breath. "What were you thinking, traveling the spirit path while still dancing! You almost destroyed your body! Then who would have avenged Rin and Kazeka! You know we have to work together because of the power he's gathered! And our plan to stop the endless cycle of Dances would have been ruined because . . ."

"I know! My attention was drawn away! I didn't do it on purpose, Odei lured me to the path. That's why I stayed halfway! To trick him into thinking that it was only a spirit path and that it was never-ending! Not to mention the fact that the visions started spinning out of control!" Hikaru drew in a breath, and let it out slowly. Naheka did the same. "We only have a little less than a year until we have to face my father and get rid of him for good, then seal ourselves into the Eye of Elements. One year, and we don't have enough time to bicker anymore. And we can't return to Temple anymore, so we can't ask Kazeka or Rin for advice. We need to go to Tokyo."

"Tokyo? Oh, for the Dojo. We leave after you get some sleep. And don't you dare pull another stunt like that again, because there's no telling if I can pull you back before your body dies!"

YAY! Another chappie done! And so quickly, too! Of course, I don't mind advice, flames, or any other thing that requires a review! Feel free to push the blue button and leave a message, even something as simple as 'I don't like this.' My reply would be ok, you're fault for missing out. AND I KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE READ A CHAPTER AND DON'T LEAVE A REVIEW! IT'S CALLED A HIT COUNTER, AND I AM VERY SAD WHEN SOMEONE READS SOMETHING AND DOESN'T LEAVE A REVIEW! So leave a review, pretty please!


	5. Anger

Ok, you guys responded quickly, those of you who are KIND ENOUGH TO LEAVE A REVIEW! Oh, and Charmed Wolf, I think I'll read another of your stories, cuz the one-shot I read was interesting, and I'm thinking the others will be just as interesting. I AM VERY KIND TO THOSE WHO LEAVE REVIEWS! Ok, on wit da story!

We Did It Wrong

Chapter 5

Anger

Hikaru woke to darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered around, trying to find Naheka. She found her room after bumbling around for fifteen minutes and walked in. She had created a pool in the middle and was in liquid form, resting in the pool. Hikaru summoned a small fire in her hand and waved it over the puddle to wake her up. After Naheka seemed awake and was in solid form, Hikaru asked, yawning, "How long was I out?" Naheka giggled as she watched Hikaru try to suppress another yawn while rubbing her eyes.

"Two days. We were going to leave yesterday, but you were just so out, so I told them we'd catch up. Hikaru, what did we do wrong to screw everything up?"

"Huh? Oh, him. We were supposed to switch places. If Odei had slammed his power into me, then you would still have been awake and you could have changed into serpent form and carry him, while Himura carried me. I wasn't able to figure it out until Odei knocked me out. We can fix it later, but we'll have to try to push him to change his mind about me until then. You know, he's just like you: Stubborn as bricks."

"Look who's talking." They giggled. "So, do you want to catch up with them now, or wait?" Hikaru's eyes looked into the distance.

"Their fire is still burning, and there's a river next to their campsite. I say go now and surprise them in the morning, when they find us." They giggled and left, Naheka in water, Hikaru by fire.

Morning

Kaoru stirred and woke up, Kenshin beside her. He had insisted on being next to her, so she finally agreed. She decided to surprise the group by gathering water and starting breakfast. Picking up a pail, she walked down to the river silently. After she filled it with water, she was about to go back when she saw the water do something funny. She bent down to look at it.

"BOO!" Naheka came out of the water, making Kaoru scream before covering her mouth with her hands, spilling water all over her. Naheka was laughing. "Oh, I've wanted to do that for the longest time!" Kenshin was running over to see what was wrong, and Naheka doubled over in laughter.

"That wasn't funny! You scared me to death!" Kaoru had recovered and was angry, but she couldn't help laughing at Kenshin's face when he came over.

"Fish!" Naheka fell back into the water, becoming liquid again as she chased after some fish. Kaoru and Kenshin walked back to camp with water to find their companions angry, and Hikaru a few feet away, doubled over.

"What happened?" Kenshin asked, but he already knew. It was hard for the two to hold in smiles as the group simultaneously pointed at Hikaru.

"SHE happened. I was sleeping, having a nice dream, when I hear this roaring and think that SHE was going to eat me alive! It wasn't funny!" Sanosuke was fuming when Kenshin and Kaoru finally couldn't hold it anymore. Hikaru had calmed down enough to sit down without laughing. She was still giggling at their expressions. Then Naheka came back with a bunch of fish in a water-net, then looking at everyone before Hikaru, the two burst out laughing again, and Naheka had to run off. When they had finally calmed down, Naheka came back with the fish.

"That was the BEST joke ever!" Naheka helped Kaoru prepare the fish while Hikaru lay down in the grass, not too far from the fire. She closed her eyes and appeared to be dozing before her eyes snapped open and her body pulsed. She suddenly looked pissed off.

"I'll be right back." She disappeared in a ball of flames. Naheka's eyes glazed over, her face calm, but scary.

"Damn. I can't see anything. Not even smoke. I wonder . . ." Before she could finish, Hikaru was back, sword against a man that was at least twice her height, but he was kneeling, and whimpering because her sword was against his neck. The sharp end was on his neck.

"So, you have a challenge to issue? Then speak up!" He whimpered some more, looking around. He looked scared enough seeing Shinomori, then Sasuke, even Kenshin, but looked like he was ready to faint when he saw Naheka's murderous look.

"The Dojo master of Tokyo forbids women from entering the dojo. Any that enter with the wish of facing him, or joining the school, will be killed on the spot."

"That's very brave of you. Now, here's a message for him: We'd like to see him try. We'll be there next week, and he will face my apprentice. You know, the one keeping you down? Give him a good description of her, that way he has some time to think about how he can defeat her. Hikaru." Naheka nodded, and Hikaru disappeared with the man. "How brave, issuing such a challenge. At least it saves us from having to issue the challenge ourselves." Naheka looked angry.

"Why are you going to challenge the Dojo Master?" Kenshin asked. Naheka looked up at him.

"We would challenge the three of you." She stated, startling the three warriors. "but you need your strength. Besides, you're not the enemy. Odei is, and it's obvious the only place we can train without attracting attention is at a Dojo." Hikaru came back.

"He's worth the challenge. It won't be an easy victory, but it won't be as hard as my father." She sat down, still boiling angry. The fire, of course, reflected her mood.

"Can't the two of you face each other?" Sano was sulking.

"Do you remember the morning before we went to the temple?" Hikaru snapped. "That's why. We're not close enough to Odei's level of swordsmanship or magic, and fighting each other doesn't make us any stronger. We need to fight others. So far, you're sensei was the only person worth fighting."

"You fought Sensei!" Kenshin was surprised. (Just so you know, I don't know his name. I don't know a lot, so bear with me.)

"It was an interesting battle. He seems to be stronger after he's had sake." Naheka reflected.

"The only worthwhile battle. He was still a little too slow. I think, after the Tokyo dojo, we should make a few puppets of Odei."

"Maybe. But, we'll need something of his." Naheka pointed out.

"Puppets? Are you talking about a copy of someone?" Kaoru asked. Hikaru nodded.

"We do have something of his; me. We can use my blood. I can isolate the genes he passed on to me and leave out anything that is mine or Mother's. We can make a good puppet, but it obviously won't be as strong as the real Odei, because when I was conceived, he wasn't that powerful yet." Hikaru explained.

"You know, that might work. It would probably be easier if we were at Temple, but he's probably just waiting for us to go there."

"Ok, what is 'Temple'! I've heard it a billion times, but nobody says anything except it's name!" Sanosuke was angry.

"It's a sanctuary. The place where the Spirits of the Elements of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth are said to reside." Kenshin cited.

Naheka nodded. "It's a place no human can reach. You have to have some power to be able to walk the Path, both physically and spiritually. Actually, a human could reach it, but humans need both the guidance of the Eye of the Elements and their acceptance. We could take a human through the Fire and the Water chambers, but the Eye, which now holds the other two Spirits, would have to act as guide. It's up to Rin and Kazeka who can go through their Paths. It's too taxing of a journey for any ordinary human to go through."

"But Odei tried. I could have kept him there for eternity, but I only went by spirit, and left my body empty. Any longer, and I would have become a part of the Eye. Then, we'd just be reincarnated again." Hikaru was shaking out of anger. So was Naheka. "I will kill Odei. I will. And then, everything will be on the right Path."

Can you tell we're eager to get Aoshi to CHANGE HIS MIND? Yeah, I'm fine. Review please! I'LL BE WATCHING THE HIT COUNTER! I WILL! LEAVE A REVIEW AND MAKE ME HAPPY! Cookie! Sugar! Ja ne!

I read the hit counter and review count . . . 105 HITS, BUT ONLY FIVE REVIEWS! I'm so sad, I think I'll go to my corner and cry.


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